An Interview With a Man Called Jesus

The teachings of Jesus are all we need to know.

Some people question the teachings of Jesus and want to know if Jesus actually knew everything. The only way to know whether or not Jesus actually knew everything would be to ask him, so we are going to bring Jesus back to earth for just a few minutes and have Scott Pelley interview him on a special edition of "60 Minutes" we will call - "The Man Jesus - Did He Know Everything?"

As the show opens, Scott Pelley and Jesus are sitting in chairs facing each other, in front of a large picture of the earth and the interview begins.

Scott Pelley:

Jesus, when you walked among the people of this earth in human form, were you ever lonely?

Jesus:

My child, just as you have set yourself apart from the rest of the world and have made yourself different, during the time when I walked this earth, I also was different. Many of my disciples left me and I spent a lot of time alone in the desert or in the Mount of Olives where I often prayed to my father. There were many who could not understand my teachings and that often troubled me. So, yes, just like you I spent much time in loneliness.

Why Christians Aren't Perfect

Christians aren't perfect - just like everyone else.

God gave Adam and Eve full reign of the Garden of Eden. They were naked and didn't even realize it or worry about it. They had no worries, had every thing they could want, but Eve blew it. She listened to the serpent and ate a bad apple that God had specifically told her not to eat. Eve eating that piece of fruit changed everything and there was no more perfect world.

Genesis,Chapter 3, Verse 13-14:

"And the LORD God said unto the woman, what is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:"

So, now you know why Christians aren't perfect and as an added bonus, you even know why snakes crawl on their bellies.

Why Bad Things Happen To Good People

The tragedies of life affect all of us.

In asking the question "Why do bad things happen to good people", there must be underlying questions about the character of God.  The question could probably be more appropriately worded  - "If God loves us, why does He allow bad things to happen to good people?"

A person can live a life of faith, be an upstanding member of the church and the community, be a good husband and father and still experience the tragedies of life.  Why?

The answer to this question certainly isn't simple by any means, but the root of the answer lies in our ability to choose, our free will.  When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in paradise with the free will to do whatever they pleased, except for one thing.  God gave them specific instructions to not eat fruit from the tree of knowledge.

Should Christians Work On Sunday?

Certain jobs must be done, even on Sunday.

The Bible makes no particular reference to working or not working on Sunday.  The Old Testament Exodus 20: 8-11: scriptures teach the following, found in

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

The Sabbath day that the bible speaks about is Saturday, the seventh day of the week.  People of the Jewish faith continue to observe a holy day of rest on the Sabbath, from sunset Friday until nightfall on Saturday.  For some reason, Christians moved their Sabbath to Sundays in recognition of Sunday being the day of Jesus' resurrection.

Evil Is The Nature Of Humanity

Evil thoughts and deeds are changing mankind.

There can be no better example of humanity's nature for evil than the recent mass shootings at an elementary school in Connecticut.  This tragedy ended in the needless, unmerciful murder of 20 totally innocent children.  According to the experts, this heinous crime was not the result of someones temporary insanity, but rather it was a well thought out premeditated plan.  It is the evil thoughts and deeds of this one individual that have forever changed the lives of every parent and grandparent in all areas of the free world.

The Bible teaches us that man is essentially evil by nature in Mark: 7:20-23 (NIV);

 "He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Are Christians Losing Christmas As A Holy Day?

Christmas is a celebration of Jesus - today and forever.

What would you do if you opened your morning newspaper and saw these headlines? - "Will
Christians Reclaim Christmas As A Holy Day?"

Did you know that there was a time when Christmas was cancelled? Yes, there really was a Scrooge. In the mid-1600s, when Oliver Cromwell took over England, he officially cancelled Christmas.

In 1789, when the first congress was in session under our new Constitution, it was in session on December 25, 1789. Finally, in 1870 Christmas was declared a federal holiday.

How Should Christians View The Death Penalty?

We must look within ourselves for the answer.

At one point in my life I was very troubled about whether or not a soldier, in time of war, was guilty of "murder" when an enemy soldier was killed in battle. At that particular time I could not make a sound decision in my own mind as to whether this action was actually a "sin". It was not until after I had contacted three ministers of three different religious beliefs that I finally found my own peace on this issue.

I was immediately reminded about the parting of the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Cain and Abel and many other accounts of "murder or killing" mentioned in the Bible and how the circumstances surrounding each of these events were totally different. Some acts of murder were committed out of anger and revenge, while others were necessary to protect a nation or for self-preservation.

Do Christians Judge Others?

"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

It is most certainly not against Christian principles to "judge" the actions of others, but we must be very careful of our interpretation of the word and its many uses scattered throughout the Bible. We all "judge" in one form or another. 

Here's a perfect example: Let's suppose we hear a news report on the 6 o'clock news that involves the murder of two small children. The video shows the father, who is in handcuffs, being placed in the back of a police car. I would bet my next paycheck that the following thought (or something similar) is going through the minds of 90% of the people who saw the newscast "They shouldn't even waste the money and time to try that scum, they should just hang him from the public square." The sad thing is that we don't even know whether or not the man has been accused of a crime or not.

Does Christianity Have Room For Other Beliefs?

Our beliefs must help us strive for a better life.

Christianity has its origin in Judaism, after all Jesus was a Jew. The followers of Jesus believed him to be the "messiah". At the convening of the first Christian council, the apostles decided that Christians didn't have to follow Jewish laws and the two faiths or beliefs moved further away from one another.

A few of the major differences between Judaism and Christian beliefs are:

• Christian principles are founded in the Bible, while the sacred text of Judaism is the Tanakh. (It is important to note here that the Old Testament of the Holy Bible was originally the Jewish Bible.)

• Christians believe in the "Trinity" of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as three persons, while Judaism normally recognizes "Unity", one person. (There are some Christians who believe the same as Judaism in this area.)

• Christians believe in a virgin birth of Jesus, while Judaism believes he was born by a normal birth.

• Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God, while Judaism recognizes him as a false prophet.

• Christians believe that Jesus ascended into heaven after his crucifixion; Judaism does not.

• Christians believe that Jesus will return to earth one day; Judaism does not.

• Christians accept Judaism as a true religion with incomplete revelation, while Judaism believes Christianity to be a false interpretation of Judaism.

Can Christians Sin?

Christians can sin just like anyone else.

Some feel that Christians walk around barefoot, in white robes, with the Holy Bible neatly tucked beneath their arm, spreading hell and damnation all across the world.  People often confuse us with Jesus; maybe that's because they don't really understand who Jesus was.

True Christians  sincerely believe they should do everything in their power to follow the teachings of Jesus, always knowing and understanding they will never be perfect, like Jesus was when he walked the earth.  Christians serve their country in time of war and  are forced to make many difficult decisions in that position. Most Christians wear shoes every day and only like to go barefoot on the beach. A Christian is just like most other people, with one exception; they know, not think, they  know that they have a loving heavenly father who watches over them.

Should Churches With Small Congregations Be Banned?

"Where two or three are gathered together in my name . . . "

It is very confusing and somewhat alarming to hear that some would desire to "disband" churches in these United States with what they term "small" congregations.  It is a fact that most Christians in the United States attend small churches. The problem lies in the fact that it is the "mega churches" who get all of the attention.

Here are the qualifications of different sized church congregations according to USAChurches.org:

• Mega Church: Average weekend attendance is more than 2,000 people.

• Large Church: Average weekend attendance is between 301 and 2,000 people.

• Medium Church: Average weekend attendance is between 51 and 300 people.

• Small Church: Average weekend attendance is less than 50 people.